Last week, Jared Cook bent his knees and launched into the air, his arms outstretched above his head to catch a football most would need a ladder with a spotter to reach.

The Titans tight end is 6-foot-5 and can climb.

His quarterback, and the Chargers, know it.

Cook is among the receiving weapons on which the San Diego defense has devoted its share of prep time leading into Sunday's home opener. Against the Patriots in Week 1, the 25-year-old caught a team-high four passes for 64 yards, including a 19-yard high riser of a reception over the middle in the first quarter.

It was a good start after a better finish.

In 2011, Cook ended his season with two 100-yard efforts in the final three contests.

Since Week 15 of last year, Cook has 25 catches for 399 yards and a touchdown in four games. Only wide receivers Calvin Johnson (671), Victor Cruz (444) and Roddy White (418) have more yardage than the 248-pounder over that span.

“He's big, and they throw the ball high to him,” coach Norv Turner said. “They go and get some balls. They make some plays. With other guys, you could contest the throw, but (quarterback Jake Locker) throws it up high to him.

“When you throw it high, you get your chances for deflecitons and those types of plays. Hopefully, we can do that. But we're going to have to do a good job with Cook and all their receivers, stripping them and going up and trying to get the ball out as compared to knocking the ball down.”

First-round pick Melvin Ingram is a former teammate of Cook's at South Carolina.

As strong-side outside linebackers, the rookie and Jarret Johnson will look to slow Cook, keeping physical around the line of scrimmage in an effort to disrupt his route timing.

“Both those guys do a great job of jamming the tight end,” Turner said.

Pressing

Chris Johnson wants to be that same running back who rushed for 2,006 yards in 2009.

Maybe, the Pro Bowler admits, he wants it too much.

Johnson was bottled up in the season opener, managing just four yards on 11 carries. The struggles were a bit of a surprise following a strong preseason. Last year, he averaged a career-low 4.0 yards a carry.

Johnson said he's forcing it.

“It's a situation where you've got a bad groove, going from 2,000 yards and then last year having a down year,” Johnson, 26, said recently in a media conference call. “A player of my stature is going to want to make a play, but instead of me trying to make a 20-yard gain, sometimes I've got to sit there and take the 2- or 3-yard gain.”

The poor run input wasn't just him, Johnson added.

He called it a “group effort” to execute better, inferring that his blockers didn't do him any favors.

“I don't care what back you put in the game, what back across the National Football League,” Johnson said. “If it's plays where people are in the backfield, you get hit when you get the ball, there's not much you can do about it. But I'm not the type of guy who's going to point fingers. We've got to get better as a whole unit.”